Reunited
by Avoline Malfoy
Summary: I never told Alice. How could I, when she would never really understand? She's never had to deal with this kind of pain. She's never had to know this... emptiness... Rated M for language.
1. Reunited

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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_Gah! These darn plot bunnies! They sneak up on me and won't leave me alone!_

_Anyways, this one is a bit more heartfelt, and definitely out of my comfort zone. I hope you guys enjoy it, and if you want me to keep it going, let me know by favoriting, following, or reviewing. Thank you!_

_Love always,_

_Avoline_

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I ran as hard as I could. It was another one of those days. I told Alice I had to hunt alone. She just nodded. She knew that, at least twice a year, I just had to be alone, to sort out my thoughts. But then I would just run, anywhere and everywhere, just to avoid my thoughts, to keep them from wandering.

To keep them from wandering to her.

I never told Alice. How could I, when she would never really understand? It's always been here, then just us. She's never had to deal with this kind of pain. She's never had to know this… emptiness. She's always been so happy, so _alive_ and care-free. I couldn't bring myself to weigh her down with _this_.

I ran harder. The tears were forming, the emotions trying to take over. I couldn't- no, _wouldn't_- let them. I had promised _her_ that I would never cry, that I would be strong. She never knew, though. She was gone long before I ever made that promise. Even if I had shouted it out as she rode away, she would have never heard me.

My vision started to blur. Dammit, why did the pain seem to get worse with each year? I should be over this by now. We were seventeen, it was before the war, yet I can't seem to make the pain go away. He was my best friend. I trusted him!

And he did the unthinkable to her.

I tripped and fell. I didn't even try to get back up. The outside world faded, and the only thing I felt was the pain. I closed my eyes, hoping to hold back the tears. Dammit, it had never been this hard to deal with. I haven't felt this alone, this _helpless_, in years. If I could just hear her voice, just one more time, maybe then I could move on and not have to do this anymore. Who the _fuck_ wants to be alone on their _birthday_?

But I couldn't face it. My own birthday, and just looking at Alice, knowing that she looked so much like _her_, made the day unbearable.

"Hello?"

I stilled and kept my ears open. My God, that voice sounded _just_ like her! Or was I hearing things again? Could my brain just be creating an illusion to sooth the pain?

"I know you're there!"

Nope, not an illusion. That voice was definitely there. And it sounded so much like her, like an echo from the past. She still sounded so confident, like that night had never happened.

A tear slipped from my eye. Of all the days for me to go insane, why now? Alice would know something was up when I got home.

"Are you okay?"

I froze. The person, whoever it was, was _right next to me_. There was no way to deny it now. The voice was just like her, sound and all. Should I answer her? Should I run off and hope she doesn't see me? Or should I just lay still and hope she goes away?

I scrambled to my feet and ran.

She would never be able to catch me. I didn't even look at her, thank God. I didn't want to see if she looked like her or not. She was probably just some random hiker who just happened to come across me after I tripped.

What the _fuck_? There are footsteps _right FUCKING behind me_! There was no way she could keep up! She should be miles back wondering what just happened!

Dammit, now they're beside me. Now I was pissed. I just wanted to be alone. Is that too much to ask for? I cut the intruder off and faced her, ready for a fight. My jaw dropped as our eyes met.

It was her, and she was just as shocked as I was.


	2. Awakening

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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_So, here's the next chapter. I'm hoping to get around to updating my other stories soon. I've been SWAMPED with work and housework, and now I've got a small chest cold._

_But, never fear! My Harry Potter stories will be updated! I don't plan on abandoning them any time soon!_

_So, sit back and enjoy._

_Love always,_

_Avoline_

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She looked just like me, right down to her eye color. She looked to only be about eighteen, but it's so hard to tell with women. She was most definitely shocked, and probably felt like she was looking in a mirror. There was something else in there too. Recognition, maybe. Like she had seen me somewhere before but couldn't remember where.

"Annabelle," I questioned. I was praying, deep down inside, that it was her. Oh, God, how I _wanted_ it to be her.

But I knew better. Annabelle went missing when we were seventeen, just before the war started. There was no way she was still alive. I would know if she was. There was just no way…

"Jasper?"

I felt the emotions building up. It was her, and she was right in front of me. She was still here, still alive (if you could say that) and still remembered me. She looked just how I remembered, but with a more updated wardrobe.

And the fact that her eyes were a bright gold color.

She was just like me now. She was a vampire. Immortal. She might have been changed about the same time I was.

No. It was long before I was changed. I remember the day clearly. The sudden emptiness that hit me, like part of me had been ripped out.

I forced the memory away. She was here and still breathing. That's all that mattered.

"Annabelle," I choked out as she reached for me. I pulled her into a hug and held her as tightly as I could. I felt whole again, like that day years ago had never happened. I could feel her trembling in my arms; she had to be feeling the same way I did.

"Jasper," she whispered. "Oh, Jasper, I thought…"

"It's okay now, Annabelle," I soothed. "We're both still here; we're both still alive, if you could call it that." I pulled back and met her gaze. "It's okay."

"I thought I saw you die at Gettysburg," she murmured. "I could have sworn it was you." I shook my head.

"I was never at Gettysburg," I answered. "I was changed shortly before then." I felt the tears forming again. Fuck it. The one person I missed the most was right in front of me. What did I have left to hide? "I thought you were gone, Annie. I thought for sure that I had lost you." She pulled me into a tight hug, and I smiled at the familiar embrace.

"I'll explain what all happened later, Jasper," she instructed. "Right now, I wanna know what you've been doing this whole time." My grin widened.

"How about I introduce you to my wife?"


End file.
